Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/267

255 HARDY PERENNIALS.] HORTICUL T U R E 255 inarinl .Tardin des Plantes, Lady Ilardinge, Mrs George Bundle, Mrs Heale, Prince Alfred, Prince of Wales, Princess of Wales, Venus, Wliite Globe. These are all incurved flowers. To them might be added, for their merit as conservatory specimen plants, Chevalier Domage, Crimson Velvet, Julie Lagravfcre, and Mrs Forsyth. Japanese. Elaine, Fair Maid of Guernsey, James Salter, and Wizard, early sorts; L)r Masters, Fulton, Grandiflora, Hero of Magdala, Meg Merrilees, Purpureum album, Red Dragon, and The Daimio, later sorts. Anemone-flowered. Acquisition, Empress, Fleurde Marie, Gluck, King of Anemones, Lady Margaret, Louis Bouamy, Miss Margaret, Miss Pethers, Prince of Anemones, Princess Louise, Sunflower. Pompons. AAoms, Andromeda, Brilliant, General Caiirobert, Mdlle. Martlia, Module, St Michael, Salamon. To these may be added of Anemone- ilowered pompons Autonius, Astrea, Calliope, Cedo Nulli (four colours), Firefly, Jean Ilachette, Madame Montels, Mario Stuart, Miss JS ightiugale, Mr Astic, Perle, Rose Marguerite, Virginale. Within the last few years a new type of dwarf-growing early-blooming varieties has sprung up, and these are now increasing in number. They come into flower in August and September, and are extremely useful for lllling up exhausted beds in the flower garden as well as for cutting. They are cultivated exactly as the others. The following are useful sorts of this group : Adrastus, Chromatella, Dclphine Caboche, Fre dcric Pels, Madame Alphonse Dufoy, Madame Pieoul, Precocite&quot;, and Scarlet Gem. 50. The Crocus sets our gardens aglow with its bright colours al most as soon as winter has departed. These crocuses of the flower garden are mostly seminal varieties of C. vernus and C. aureus, the former yielding the purple and striped, and the latter the yellow varieties. The headquarters of the genus is in eastern Europe and Asia Minor, but C. vernus is found wild in some parts of England. It has been much improved by Dutch florists, and large quantities are annually imported from Holland. The crocus succeeds in any fairly good garden soil, and is usually planted near the edges of beds or borders in the flower garden, or in broadish patches at intervals along the mixed borders. The roots or corms should be planted 3 inches below the surface, and as they become crowded they should be taken up and replanted with A refreshment of the soil, at least every five or six years. Crocuses have also a pleasing effect when dotted about on the lawns and grassy banks of the pleasure ground. Some of the best of the varieties are : Purple: David Rizzio, Sir .1. Franklin. Shaded light blue: Lilaceus superbus. Blue tipped with white : IS e plus ultra. Striped : Albion, La Majestueuse, Sir Walter Scott, Cloth of Silver. White: Caroline Chisholm. Yellow: Large Dutch, Cloth of Gold. The species of Crocus are not very readily obtainable, but those who make a speciality of hardy bulbs ought certainly to search them out and grow them. They require the same culture as the more familiar garden varieties ; but, as some of them are apt to suffer from excess of moisture, it is advisable to plant them in prepared soil in a raised pit, where they are brought nearer to the eye, and where they can be sheltered when necessary by glazed sashes, which, however, should not be kept closed except when the plants are at rest. The autumn-blooming kinds include many plants of very great beauty. Of the spring-flowering species, there are C. aureus, Susianus, stellaris, sulphurous, chrysanthus, mesiacus, Olivieri, and vitellinus, having yellow flowers of various shades; C. vernus, etruscus, Imperati, minimus, suaveolens, and veluchensis, with blue or lilac flowers; C. albiflorus, Fleischerianus, versicolor, strictus, and biflorus, with white or whitish flowers. Of the autumn-blooming species, there are C. speciosus, Clusianus, mcdius, Orpha- nidis, longiflorus (odorus), Pallasii, Thomasii, Salzmannianus, muliilorus, autumnalis, serotinus, Sieberi, Cartwriglitianus, and byzantinus, with lilac or purple flowers; C. Boryauus, vallicola, hadriaticus, cancellatus, andCanibes- sedianns, with white or whitish flowers ; and C. Scharojani with flowers of a rich saffron yellow. 51. The ft ow;i/;H^c; i?(Fritillariaimperialis) grows up to a height of about 3 feet, the lower part of the stoutish stem being furnished with leaves, while near the top is developed a coronal of large pendent flowers surmounted by a tuft of bright green leaves like those of the lower part of the stem, only smaller. The flowers are bell-shaped, yellow or red, and in some of the forms double. The plant grows freely in good garden soil, preferring a deep well-drained loam, and is all the better for a top-dressing of manure as it approaches the flowering stage. Strong clumps of five or six roots of one kind have a very line eiFect. It is a very suitable subject for the back row in mixed flower borders, or for recesses in the front part of shrubbery borders. It flowers in April or early in May. There are a few named varieties, but the most generally grown are the single aiid double yellow, and the single and double red, the single red having also two variegated varieties, with the leaves striped respectively with white and yellow. 52. _ The florists Dahlia (Dahlia variabilis) yields two groups or varieties, which are known as show and fancy dahlias, the former consisting of all self-coloured flowers and those light-ground ones which are edged, tipped, or laced with a dark colour ; the latter, all flowers with the colour in stripes like a carnation, and all dark- ground flowers tipped with white. Besides these there are bedding dahlias, which are dwarf-growing sorts with decided colours, much used in flower-gardens where large effects are required to be pro duced ; and pompon dahlias, which are very symmetrical small- lowered sorts, better adapted for cutting than the more bulky flowers of the show varieties. The single-flowered D. coccinea, a most brilli ant and highly effective ornamental plant, with some other allied kinds, has recently attracted much attention, and can bo com mended as an admirable half-hardy border flower, and well adapted for cutting to fill large vases. It is rather more delicate than the forms of D. variabilis, and the tuberous roots are very apt to be lost during winter, but it is readily raised from seeds, and if sown early flowers the same season. The varieties of the florists dahlia selected for the flower garden should be those only which are of effective colours, whether self s or others, and such as throw out their flower heads or long stalks clear of the foliage. The same remark applies to the pompons. New varieties are procured from seed, which should be sown in pots or pans towards the end of March, and placed in a hotbed or propagating pit, the young plants being pricked off into pots or boxes, and gradually hardened off for planting out in June ; they will flower the same season if the summer is a genial one. The older varieties are propagated by dividing the large tuberous roots, in doing which care must be taken to leave an eye to each portion of tuber, otherwise it will not grow. Bare varieties are sometimes grafted on the roots of others (see fig. 57, p. 237). The best and most general mode of propagation is by cuttings, to obtain which, the old tubers are placed in heat in February, and as the young shoots, which rise freely from them, attain the height of 3 inches, they are taken off with a heel, and planted singly in small pots filled with fine sandy soil, and plunged in a moderate heat. They root speedily, and are then transferred to larger pots in light rich soil, and their growth encouraged until the planting-out season arrives, which is about the middle of June. Dahlias succeed best in an open situation, and in rich deep loam, but there is scarcely any garden soil in which they will not thrive, if it is manured. For the production of fine show flowers the ground must be deeply trenched, and well manured annually. The branches as well as the blossoms require a considerable but judicious amount of thinning ; they also need shading in some cases, and individual protection from rain and wind. They may stand singly like com mon border flowers, but have the most imposing appearance when seen in masses arranged according to their height. Florists usually devote a plot of ground to them, and plant them in lines 5 to 10 feet apart. This is done about the beginning of June, sheltering them if necessary from late frosts by inverted pots or in some other convenient way. Old roots often throw up a multitude of stems, which render thinning necessary. As the plants increase in height, they are furnished with strong stakes, to secure them from high winds. Dahlias flower on till they are interrupted by frost in autumn. The roots are then taken up, dried, and stored in a cellar, or some other place where they may be secure from fros and moisture. See article DAHLIA, vol. vi. p. 762. 53. The Delphinium, or Bee-Larkspur, is so called from the resem- Del- blance of the petals in the original species, D. elatum, to the hairy pliiniun body of a bee. The original had comparatively small flowers, but by hybridizing they have been very much increased in size,and improved in quality, and now constitute one of the brightest ornaments of the mixed border, or the shrubbery group, often throwing up second ary blooming stems, especially if the first are removed in good time, instead of being allowed to form seeds. The colour varies from red dish-blue to pale blue or grey, but the prevailing one is dark blue. Delphiniums need a good rich soil, that of a loamy character being the best. They must be replanted at least every second year, and the soil either renewed or well manured and thoroughly broken up. Replanting may be done equally well early in autumn or when growth recommences in spring. The commoner single varieties, such as the brilliant D. formosum, may be reproduced with but slight variation from seed, but the double ones must be propagated by division. Unless sown as soon as ripe the seed is apt to take long to vegetate. If novelties are required, the flowers can be cross- fertilized. For mere propagation the best method is division ; for this purpose the stems should be cut down early, say in July, the offsets potted each into a small pot of light soil, and wintered in a frame. The plants should be well exposed to the sun, but sheltered from strong winds, and promptly and carefully staked. In a mixed border they should be planted in one of the back rows ; but their spire- like inflorescence is very effective when they are planted several together in a group or bed in the front part of the .shrubbery border. They vary in height from 3 to 6 feet. The following are some of the best modern varieties : Single-flowered. Amabilis, Celestial, Gloire de St Maude, Madame Chatc&quot; Madame Henri Jacotot, Mrs Gerard Leigh. Double-Jloifcrcfl. liarlowi, Clair Courant, grandiflorum plenum, Keteleeri, Manteau do Minerva, Roi Leopold. 54. The Gladiolus, described separately in vol. x. p. 732, has be- Gladio- comeone of oivr most popular flowers, and is a striking ornament of his. our gardens during the late summer months. The modern race of floM-ers has sprung from G. gandavensis, but others (see separate article)are grown to asmaller extent, and come in at an earlier season. G. cnrdinalis, cruentus, and florilmndus belong to this latter series, and are pretty subjects for the mixed borders, while for beds G. brenchleyensis, one of the early hybrids, is still one of the most brilliant and effective, the flowers being of a glowing scarlet. The choicer kinds afford a variety of colours, including white, yellow, blush, rose, salmon, cerise, scarlet, crimson, and rosy-purple, many of them being prettily striped or blotched. Being tall (3 to 4 feet), and spare of leaves, they are most effective when planted in beds